Wedding dress rentals increase

While I don’t know of any wedding gown rental shops in the Capital Region, the findings below are interesting. Also, I wonder: Ladies, would you be willing to rent your wedding gown?

When I suggest renting — or buying consignment — to brides, many women say “no way” arguing the dress could be “cursed.” You never know how the marriage worked out for the previous bride, they say. I argue most grooms rent their tux, and the same applies (I’m sure most of those tuxes were worn, at some point, by men who are now in bad marriages), so why should a wedding gown be any different?

Something old, new, borrowed and blue – that is the wedding tradition – but this wedding season getting something new may be a struggle. According to industry research firm IBISWorld, an industry market research firm, spending on rented bridal gowns is expected to grow 7.5 percent to $43 million — up from $40 million in 2008.

With brides renting dresses, sales of new wedding gowns are expected to decrease 2.8 percent this year, reaching just $973 million. While the decline is not as steep as the 4.2 percent drop experienced in 2008, the industry has seen declines since 2001. Brides who do purchase a dress will more likely buy their garments in high-end department stores, formal clothing stores, or online – like PreOwnedWedddingDress.com – opposed to a bridal store.

5 Responses

I probably would not rent as it’s doubtful I could find something I loved in my exact size that didn’t need alterations but I would consider buying a pre-owned dress. Wedding dresses are so expensive and I’m spending enough on the wedding already. IDK ask me in a few weeks when I actually have tried on dresses and my opinion may change though.

I would rent. I wish the option had been avaialable 11 years ago. I have not looked at that dress in years. I should rent my dress out, it’s lovely. If I had thought about it more, I’d have bought something that could be cut down to cocktail length and that wouldn’t look “wedding-ish.”

I am the founder of a website called Rent It Today. http://www.rentittoday.com . The goal of our site is to put anything and everything for rent on our website. We have had several request to expand our wedding rental category which we are doing at this time. It really is amazing how big the wedding industry is today. Forever men have been renting tuxedos, so why not dresses? I wish my wife would have rented a dress back in the day!